History: May Day

With the month of May upon us, Matthew Mallinson explores the  ancient traditions of holidays centred around the start of May and how they influenced the May Day holiday we all know today.

The start of May is often seen as the time when weather gets warmer, trees blossom and flowers grow; causing it to be seen as the start of summer. On the first of May, the national holiday of May Day occurs and celebrations exist as expressions of joy and hope after the long cold months. 

The earliest recorded celebrations around the time of May are related to the Roman goddess Flora, who represented flowers, spring and fertility. Between April 28 and May 3 around 240 B.C the festival of Floralia would occured, celebrity the cycle of life with the giving of flowers and a copious amounts of alcohol; along with theatre performances and circus events. Prostitutes were a common feature at these festivals, the satirist Juvenal noted that they often danced naked and fought in mock gladiator combat.

Many Germanic countries celebrate the spring festival of Walpurgis Night on April 30 or May 1, involving dancing and bonfires. The event is named after the English missionary Saint Walpurga who brought Christianity to many countries in the 7th and 8th century, who became associated with springtime. The idea of a bonfire is brought over from the fabled celebrations on the Brocken mountain in Germany, where it is said witches would await the arrival of spring. People dress in witch garments and burn broomsticks and wiccan effigies on bonfires; bringing connections with Halloween. 

A similar event is the Celtic Irish tradition of Beltane, a fire festival that celebrates the coming of spring and fertility. Many proposals would occur at these events, often with marriages occurring either immediately or soon after as spring was seen as the best time to get a woman pregnant. Fire was a key part of the celebration, with people leaping over the Beltane fire to bring good fortune, fertility and happiness through the coming year. The fire would be lit at night and burn until dawn, with festivities carrying on all night. Beltane has seen a revival recently as a modern arts and cultural event incorporating myth and drama from around the world. Some traditions are still upheld, with fire being recognised for its purifying qualities which cleanse and revitalise. 

When Christianity became popular across the Western world, the pagan holidays lost their religious importance often being merged with or replaced by Christian holidays, like Christmas or Easter. May Day lost its religious connotations while keeping many of the established themes. The maypole is erected with people dancing around as a celebration of life and fertility. A May Queen is crowned, traditionally she wears white to symbolise purity and a crown of flowers to celebrate fertility; she draws comparisons with traditional images of the goddess Flora in these regards. 

May Day is celebrated at many sites around Kent to this day, the celebrations at Whitstable being the most traditional. 

[Originally published by Vine Magazine]